by
Greek Giant
Major League Baseball recently announced there will be new rules in place for the month of April. They are designed to ease the strain of a short Spring Training and compacted regular season schedule after the stupid, needless, and cynical lockout by the owners.
MLB announced previously reported rule changes (28-man roster in April, ghost runners, etc.). Any options used while rosters are expanded won’t count toward limit of five. Could help the Giants shuffle fresh pitching in and out … they have 19 games in first 20 days.
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) March 31, 2022
28-Man Rosters
From Opening Day (April 7th) through May 1st, the 26-player active Major League roster shall increase to 28 (including 29 players for any doubleheader during this period).
This will help the Giants. It will also help prevent injuries to pitchers.
It also makes it more likely fringe players like Dubon and Tyler Beede remain on the team and do not get DFA’d since they are out of options. It is very important.
Number of Pitchers on Active Roster
From Opening Day (April 7th) through May 1st, the 26-player active Major League roster shall increase to 28 (including 29 players for any doubleheader during this period).
This is crucial for depth and to help teams prevent over-use of bullpen arms in particular. For the Giants in means hurlers like Sammy Long and others will be on the club. It also means all pitchers can be sent up and down with no limit or hit on their options.
10-Day Option Rule and 10-Day Injured List
The required number of days a pitcher or two-way player must remain on option or outright assignment prior to a subsequent recall or re-selection will be 10 days for any option or outright that occurs prior to May 2nd.
and
Pitchers and two-way players are eligible for placement on the 10-day Injured List prior to May 2nd. Beginning on May 2nd, those players will only be eligible for placement on the 15-day Injured List.
It’s starting to get a wee bit complicated by the key here is that it gives teams more flexibility for the first month of games. This is particularly important for teams like the Giants and Bums that use the IL as a temporary vacation for rest and for spreading the workload in the pitching staff. Yes, our team abuses this rule and yes they use it to maximum effect. In my opinion this is one of the rules that needs to go. It is one of the main reasons the role of starting pitchers has been diminished in baseball and it hurst the integrity of the game.
Runner On Base in Extras
The batter (or a substitute for the batter) who leads off an inning shall continue to be the batter who would lead off the inning in the absence of this extra-innings rule.
The runner placed on second base at the start of each half-inning shall be the player (or a substitute for such player) in the batting order immediately preceding that half-inning’s leadoff hitter. By way of example, if the number five hitter in the batting order is due to lead off the tenth inning, the number four player in the batting order (or a pinch-runner for such player) shall begin the inning on second base. However, if the player in the batting order immediately preceding that half-inning’s leadoff hitter is the pitcher, the runner placed on second base at the start of that half-inning may be the player preceding the pitcher in the batting order. Any runner or batter removed from the game for a substitute shall be ineligible to return to the game, as is the case in all circumstances under the OBR.
For purposes of calculating earned runs, the runner who begins an inning on second base pursuant to this rule shall be deemed to be a runner who has reached second base because of a fielding error, but no error shall be charged to the opposing team or to any player.
Ok, this OFFICIALLY SUCKS! I hate this rule! It makes a joke of our game and it is not necessary. That was my scientific analysis.
F**CK you Manfred!
Yesterday’s Cactus League Game
The Giants thrashed the Rockies 13-2 in their Cactus League game yesterday. There were quite a few long balls by our boys, BCraw broke out of his slump with one. Alex Wood pitched 4 1/3 and got the win giving up two runs. Joc Pederson went deep. Tommy LaStella continued his hot hitting after skipping most of the Spring due to injury. Mauricio Dubie Dubie do go deep:
Going, going, Du-gone 👋 pic.twitter.com/1LZfh0Htdl
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) March 31, 2022
If the lefties keep swinging the lumber like this then the paucity of righty power will not be an issue. Maybe that’s Farhan’s plan.